HUMAN ENERGY

No electricity for one fifth of world’s population

According to IEA analysis, there are currently 1.4 billion people – over 20% of the world’s population – who lack access to electricity. Five hundred and eighty-five million are based in Sub-Saharan Africa, including over 76 million in Nigeria and 69 million in Ethiopia. Most of the remaining people live in Asia, including 400 million in India, 96 million in Bangladesh and over 30 million in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

If governments only implement broad policy commitments in this area that they have already announced, the IEA projects that this problem will persist in the long term. Research in the World Energy Outlook 2010 – which is the IEA’s flagship publication – shows that 1.2 billion people will still lack access to electricity in 2030, 87% of them living in rural areas.

“This is an alarming picture of what the future might look like, and one which the global community must work together to counter,” Dr. Birol argued.

In order to bring modern energy services to these 1.2 billion people who will not have access to electricity if government policies remain as they are now, the IEA has calculated that additional cumulative investment of USD 700 billion in 2010 to 2030 is required. That breaks down to USD 33 billion per year.

As we continue to succeed in the Caribbean and Latin America with our streetlight products, we have pledged to donate portable and fixed mount energy and lighting systems with Lithium battery technology to rural communities and individuals who do not have traditional grid-tie energy.